


my heart is open my eyes are wide

by lizleminem



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 20:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8070859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizleminem/pseuds/lizleminem
Summary: “It’s not like Jesper meant to do it,” he says. “Yeah, he fucked up, but who of us hasn’t. We’re all shitty people in a shitty gang and you all act so high and mighty but you’re not better than him. Just stop.” 
“Wow,” Jesper says, and Wylan spins around, horror on his face, and his cheeks immediately staining red. “I had no idea you cared so much.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Uglysweater](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uglysweater/gifts).



> this was written for my lovely friend [eileen](http://corvidyouths.tumblr.com)'s birthday!!!
> 
> title from eyes wide by handsome ghost

“Has anyone seen Wylan since he left earlier today?” Nina asks. 

Jesper looks over ready to answer, but he’s actually not sure. He hadn’t seen him come in, but he might have come in from the back. 

“No, he hasn’t come back yet,” Inej answers, and she would definitely know so Jesper takes her word for it. 

“Someone should probably go look for him,” Nina says. “Make sure he hasn’t been taken by his father’s men or anything.” 

Inej and Nina both look at Jesper as soon as she’s done talking and that’s fine by him. He’s not doing anything anyway, and it’s been a while since he got to talk to Wylan. “On it,” he says, pushing out of his chair and heading for the door. 

He knows where Wylan had been going earlier so he heads in that direction, taking a long and winding route so that he can stick to alleys as much as possible. They’re still hiding from Jan Van Eck and his people so it’s best for all of them to stay out of sight as much as possible when they go out in Ketterdam. 

He finally finds Wylan after about forty minutes. He’s at the end of the alley talking to someone else from the Dregs. Their backs are to Jesper so they haven’t seen or heard him yet, and as Jesper gets closer he can tell that the other guy is talking about him. About how he caused the attack on them when they were leaving for the Ice Court. 

Shame and anger course through him, but before he can say anything Wylan starts yelling. 

“It’s not like Jesper meant to do it,” he says. “Yeah, he fucked up, but who of us hasn’t. We’re all shitty people in a shitty gang and you all act so high and mighty but you’re not better than him. Just stop.” 

“Wow,” Jesper says, and Wylan spins around, horror on his face, and his cheeks immediately staining red. “I had no idea you cared so much.” 

“Oh,” Wylan says. “I had no idea you were here. What are you doing here?” 

“I was looking for you. You’d been gone awhile. We were getting a little paranoid that you’d managed to get yourself kidnapped or something. But no, you were just out here defending my honor,” Jesper smirks as he finishes his sentence, and Wylan drops his gaze. 

“I’m gonna go,” he says. 

“Wait,” Jesper says, but Wylan is already rushing away. Jesper sighs, but he doesn’t follow right away. He wants to give Wylan a chance to calm down, and himself a chance to think about what he’s going to do. 

***

It’s a few hours later before Jesper finally makes his way back to the abandoned inn they’ve been staying at. He knocks gently on Wylan’s door, and waits till he hears Wylan’s quiet, “Come in,” before he opens the door. 

“Hey,” Jesper says. 

“Hey,” Wylan echoes. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed so Jesper crosses the room, carefully, avoiding all the spots where the floor is nearly caving in and sits down next to him, their knees just barely brushing together. Wylan still seems a little uncomfortable and Jesper doesn’t want to push him so he lets his eyes wander around the room. Eventually they land on an old, battered and yellowing book on the crate Wylan is using as a bedside table and he reaches out and grabs it. 

“What’s this?” he asks. 

“It’s nothing. Just a book my mom used to read me. I found it crammed in with my stuff the other day. I don’t even remember packing it, but packing was such a blur that I guess I just forgot. I’ve been trying to read it, but well, you know.” He blushes then. 

Jesper shrugs and moves so that he’s laying on the bed behind Wylan, and then he opens the book and starts reading. 

“What are you doing?” Wylan asks. 

“Reading.” 

“You really don’t have to do that,” Wylan says. 

“I know,” Jesper says. “But I want to. Just let me do something nice, merchling.” 

Before Wylan can answer Jesper turns his attention back to the book and starts reading again. They stay like that for a long while, but eventually Wylan moves so that he’s laying beside Jesper. They’re having to share one pillow, and they’re close enough that Jesper can smell the soap Wylan uses. It’s a little distracting and when Wylan starts to drift to sleep and moves even closer Jesper falters in his reading.

He decides to just give up on a reading for a while since Wylan’s falling asleep anyway, and closes the book and lets it drop to his other side. Then he turns on his side so that he’s facing Wylan before saying, “Hey, Wylan?” 

“Yeah,” Wylan mumbles back, sleepily, his eyes fluttering back open. 

“Why’d you run away earlier?” 

Wylan flushes, and grumbles out, “You know why.” 

“I really don’t,” Jesper says. “I mean, I guess you were embarrassed, because you had that cute blush going on. Like you do now.” He reaches up and trails a fingertip over Wylan’s bright red cheeks and the tip of his nose. “But I don’t know why.” 

“God, because I like you, and you don’t like me. Or at least not in the same way. So, can you stop doing all the stupid flirting stuff and leave me alone.” 

Jesper can’t help but grin at that. “What in the hell are you talking about? I do like you. Are you forgetting that only like a month ago I humiliated myself by screaming, ‘Maybe I liked your stupid face?’ at you?” 

“Yeah, I mean, you think I’m cute, I guess. But you don’t like me. You like Kaz,” Wylan screws his eyes shut and scoots a little farther away and Jesper shakes his head even though Wylan can’t see it. 

“No. I mean, I did, for a long time. But not anymore. I like you. Saints, I thought you knew that,” Jesper says. 

Wylan’s eyes flutter back open, a tentatively hopeful grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah?” he asks. 

“Yeah,” Jesper says, grinning back at him. “Saints, we’re both such idiots. Does this mean I can kiss you now?” 

Wylan flushes impossibly redder, but he nods his head, and Jesper leans in, pressing their lips together. It’s soft at first, their noses bumping together awkwardly, but then Jesper tilts his head, and the angle is better. He presses in harder, nipping at Wylan’s bottom lip and Wylan makes a pleased, happy sound, before pulling away. 

“Stay?” he asks. “Please? If you leave now I’m going to convince myself i dreamed this in the morning.” 

“Well, we can’t have that. It took us long enough to get to this point,” Jesper says. 

Wylan grins at him and then rolls over. Jesper throws an arm around his waist, pressing his face against the back of Wylan’s neck and breathing deeply until he falls asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr [here](http://lesbianorla.tumblr.com).
> 
> side note: i feel like they don't curse at all in the actual book (well, at least with the kind of curse words we use) but whatever i do what i want.


End file.
